Tennessee Basketball: Rocky Times on Rocky Top, Vols Lose Two in a Row

In less than one week, Bruce Pearl and the Tennessee men's basketball team has known the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

Last Saturday, the Volunteers went to Pittsburgh and handed the Panthers their first non-conference loss at home in nearly six years.

With that win, the Vols climbed to No. 7 in the polls and grabbed the No. 1 RPI rating.

Instead of that huge victory being a launching pad to bigger and better things, Tennessee has taken two giant steps backwards during the rest of this week.

Tuesday night in Knoxville, mid-major Oakland (MI) University came to town, and through the first half of the game, the Volunteers looked like they were going to blow the Golden Grizzlies off the court.

However, Oakland outscored Tennessee 50-32 in the second half, and the Vols lost a stunning contest, 89-82.

This was only the second time Tennessee had lost on its home court to a non-conference opponent in coach Bruce Pearl's six seasons.

Certainly, this would be a wake-up call to the program that it can't take anyone for granted.

Friday night would be a chance to get everything back on track as the Vols went on the road to play UNC-Charlotte.

The 49ers were struggling this season, winning only four of their first 10 games. Plus, they hadn't beaten a top 10 team since 2004.

In a game in which both teams shot less than 35 percent from the field, Charlotte pulled off the upset, 49-48, handing Tennessee its second straight loss to an un-ranked mid-major team.

What in the world is going on with Tennessee?

The Vols are a talented ball club that could be undefeated, but now are going to have to figure things out quickly.

The following are a few places that need attention if the Vols are going to get their season headed back in the right direction.

Frigid Three-Point Shooting

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 11: Cameron Tatum #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers attempts a shot against Eddie Ludwig #13 of the LSU Tigers during the first round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2010 in Nashville, Tenn

To say that the Vols have been cold from beyond the arc the last two games is the understatement of the season.

In those two loses, Tennessee has shot a combined 6 for 35, a frosty 17 percent from downtown.

Before these two games, the Vols were shooting a middle-of-the-pack .355 from three-point range.

They can't blame the fact that they were trying to dig themselves out of huge holes: They were ahead in both games at half.

If the Vols do not locate their long-distance shooting touch soon, they could drop another game or two before SEC season begins.

Second-Half Defense

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 11: Melvin Goins #21 of the Tennessee Volunteers defends against the LSU Tigers during the first round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/

Once a good team has their opponent down, they need to keep the boot on their throat.

While a halftime lead is not a guarantee of a win, Tennessee should have been able to take care of both Oakland and Charlotte after finishing the first half of each game with an 11-point (at home) and a four-point lead respectively.

Usually, losing a halftime lead is the result of a team being satisfied with its first-half performance.

The Vols won't always have a lead going into intermission. But when they do, they need to come out and put the game on ice. 

Not Getting to the Line Enough

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

LEXINGTON, KY - FEBRUARY 13: Scotty Hopson #32 of the Tennessee Volunteers shoots during the SEC game against the Kentucky Wilcats on February 13, 2010 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

In their first seven games of the year, the Vols went to the line 32 times per game.

Against Charlotte, Tennessee only shot seven free throws for the entire game and only hit two of them.

You can't make the refs call fouls, but you can take the ball aggressively to the basket, where you will either get good looks or get fouled.

The Vols need to be careful that they don't rely on their outside shooting too much or else teams will be able to more effectively shut them down.

Getting Things Together

Nick Laham/Getty Images

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 26: Tobias Harris #12 of the Tennessee Volunteers drives to the basket against against Corey Stokes #24 of the Villanova Wildcats during the Championship game at Madison Square Garden on November 26, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by

Tennessee has already proven that it can play well and beat good teams (Villanova and Pitt). The Vols just need to get hungry and stay focused.

When they play like they can, they are a hard team to handle.

When they play like they have for their last two games, any team in the SEC can beat them.

It will be intriguing to see how they move forward through their remaining five non-conference games before they open SEC play at Arkansas.